(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc retired in Monza due to a serious accident early in the race. But was his participation in the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid this weekend (follow all sessions here in the Formula 1 live ticker!) at risk because of the crash? Leclerc denies it: “It wasn’t that bad. I’m fine.”
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Leclerc went off at the fast Monza final corner right at the start of the race and crashed hard into the barriers. Afterwards, he complained of eye problems. However, his vision impairment lasted “really only very briefly,” Leclerc assures: “One eye wasn’t working properly, but after a few seconds everything was fine again.” Therefore, he “didn’t worry too much.”
“I was aware that it was a heavy impact, and something like that is of course never good for the body. But immediately afterwards I was able to see quite well again,” explains Leclerc.
He said he “did not feel particularly well” after the accident and also in the following days, according to the Ferrari driver. He speaks of tension and pain in the neck, which is why he sought treatment. “But all examinations were unremarkable. I was examined several times and everything was fine,” said Leclerc.
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What if Charles Leclerc had missed Madrid?
That is not a given in an accident of this magnitude: “It was a pretty heavy accident. From the outside it probably looked severe as well, but in the car it also felt that way,” says Leclerc. “But sometimes an accident can look pretty bad from the outside, while it doesn’t feel that bad in the car.”
Medically, there is therefore nothing against racing in Madrid: Ferrari will compete at the Formula 1 debut of the Madrid circuit as usual with its regular drivers Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
If Leclerc had to be replaced, Ferrari would probably have put Haas driver Oliver Bearman in – as already in 2024 in Saudi Arabia, when Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz. Haas would then have had to fill Bearman’s cockpit in turn.
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